BRILLIANT EFFORT

Evening Post, Issue 12, 14 July 1936, Page 5

BRILLIANT EFFORT

TO SAVE CHILD'S LIFE

"This is a marvellous story, simply told, of wonderful efforts made to remove an open safety-pin from a child's lung. It was a brilliant surgical attempt and makes one proud of modern surgery."

This tribute to surgeons at King's College Hospital, London, was paid by the Coroner (Mr. A. Douglas Cowburn) at the inquest at Camberwell on a child —Thomas Custy, of Crowley Lane, Oldham, says the "Morninp Post."

Mr. Custy said that a woman-doctor at the hospital at Pendlebury told him that if there was one man in England who could get the phi from the lung that man was at King's College • Hos-

pital, London, so the child was taken there. .

Dr. Stephen Gerald Shippard, hpuse surgeon in the throat department of King's College Hospital, showed the Coroner X-ray plates and Mr. Cowburn observed, that the point of;the pin: was not locked.

The point of the pin was in' the lung tissue, said Dr. Shippard. The child responded to treatment for its'general health and. by May 7 he was fit for an anaesthetic. A bronchoscope was passed but they were unable to see the pin because of granulations.

"It was decided to wait until a smaller bronchoscope: could be made," he said.

SMALLEST IN TiXS TFOSIiS.

He handed it to the Coroner with the remark, "I believe it is the smallest in the world.

"We were able to pass this new bronchoscope down on May 21," he

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continued, "but again we were not able to see the pin because of granulations and owing to the.fact that:the brpnehoscope had a very small orifice.' _ it was decided to wait a time and make another attempt, but the child developed pneumonia and died." -■: • ■,

The Coroner: Supposing that > the bronchoscope revealed the pin, how would you have got it out?— Forward grasping forceps would havei. been, passed down the bronchoscope, and the pin grasped and turned till the. point was in the opening of the bronchoscope. The point, would then have been seized.

This department at King's College Hospital has a wonderful v reputation, and frequently operations of this kind have been carried out with great success?— Yes. . ■..■■•>.

They are . operations of gr^at perplexity and difficulty?— Yes. . • --- The Coroner recorded'a verdict o* death by misadventure. .': •■' • ,::.'.'. ~:,.